Parenting Tips - How to Help Your Child Get Used to Preschool

The transition to preschool is one of the first social milestones for your three year old. How to help your child get used to preschool is significant to a successful time for you and your preschooler. The concept of playing with other children, learning new things, and having fun are the most important. I definitely suggest you talk about preschool with your child but do not overload the topic and create anxiety!

For your own checklist, think about your child's experiences. Has he spent time away from you? Does she separate from you easily when you go out? Do you spend time reading with your child because often preschool has a time when the teacher reads to her students. Your preschooler will need to be able to sit and listen for short periods of time.

It is helpful if you plan a 10-15 minute reading time with your child so that they get used to this. It helps them with their listening skills. If your child has a favorite book that they request over and over again, they may have memorized it. If that is the case, ask them to "read" it to you. This enhances their sense of self esteem as well!

There are so many things you can introduce at home to help them with some of the skills that will help them in preschool. Have an art time when you work together with paints, clay, play dough, crayons, etc. Encourage them to create as much as they wish. This is providing a basis for fine motor skills that they will need later on to learn to print and write.

To help your child get used to preschool, plan a visit to the preschool at least 3-4 weeks before it starts. If you know ahead of time when other children will be there, ask if you can visit then so that your child can see other children having fun in this setting.

If your child has not had much experience playing with other children, plan some play dates so that they can go to another child's house to play and then have that child to their house. You are providing the beginning foundation for social skills that they will need in life. If you are new to an area or don't know other families with children, you can ask the teacher where your child will attend if you can have a class list. This will allow you to introduce your preschooler to a few of his/her classmates ahead of time and there will be a familiar face on the first day!

Listening skills are important for both you and your child to learn. For your preschooler play games at home. Try giving a list of 1-3 things to do in order and then see if they can do them. You can start with something simple such as Simon Says. For you as the parent, listen to your child's comments about fears or concerns they may have about preschool. It is important to let them talk about these fears. Do not tell them NOT TO WORRY; they have already voiced their concern and you need to talk about it and not belittle it. All of us have concerns and fears in new situations and your preschooler is no different!

There are so many books to read to your child about going to preschool. One of my favorites is Franklin Goes to School by Paulette Bourgeois. Another classic is Grover Goes to School, A Sesame Street book by Dan Elliot.

How to help your child get used to preschool will differ for each parent and child. These are general guidelines to use and to modify to your own needs to help your child with this first big social step.

Outside Preschool Homeschooling Textbooks - Learning About Special Events

For parents of school children at home with preschool children, special days and events provide opportunities for the education of their children adapt and expand their knowledge in new ways. Home Schooling textbooks provide a sound basis in many cases, it is also a good time to bring the learning of the page. This makes education fun, but also acts as a very effective way for the children of many honorable traits of the heroes and ideas that have shaped our learningworld.

Local Activities

Just because preschool homeschool children take their lessons at home doesn't mean they can't enjoy the opportunities offered by the local community. The library provides you and your child with a great supplement for homeschooling textbooks. They often hold reading groups that cover age-appropriate books on specific subjects. Puppet shows, crafts, and other activities may also be organized to coordinate with the special day.

Libraries aren't the only source of supplemental activities. Community groups and other organizations will also hold various events throughout the year. If nothing exists in your local area about a specific day or event, you can certainly make something happen. If it is Easter, for example, design a special egg hunt, or have your child go on a treasure hunt that involves items you can use to tell the story.

The Internet

For a preschool child, the internet acts as a comprehensive resource. So much information exists it is often more a matter of selecting what you would like to use, and sifting through what is available. For example, educational and specific sites such as YouTube hold videos of various events and occurrences. Coloring pages, simple games, craft ideas, and other simple activities offered also compliment homeschooling textbooks. You and your child can choose the ones you would like to do, making their education about the event or occurrence more personal.

Additional Resources

In some instances, it can be difficult to find the additional resources you need to compliment homeschooling textbooks. You just need to be a little creative to find what you need. Other preschool homeschool families are often a great place to start. They will have likely already faced the situation, and have come up with solutions, or the group of you will be able to come up with suitable solutions that all of the kids can enjoy. Homeschool suppliers frequently carry more than just the basic supplies. Be sure to check with them to see what they have available.

If nothing currently exists that will help your child learn more about special events, make something that does. Design crafts or games that add to your kid's understanding. These activities are also helpful in getting everyone into a creative groove. Your children will also have great ideas of what to do, or where he or she would like to start!

Preschool Valentine Games - Will You Be Mine, Valentine?

Valentine's Day is a favorite for children since it provides an opportunity to express their love for the important people in their lives as well as a clever excuse to eat candy. It's also a great time of the year to incorporate some preschool valentine games into the lesson plan to reinforce the central theme of love.

Most of these games focus on the theme or image of the heart, which is central to Valentine's Day festivities. Also, since Valentine's Day is a non-secular holiday, parents won't raise any objections to these preschool valentine games.

While the most obvious of the preschool valentine games is the making of and distribution of decorated or store-bought valentines, don't be afraid to move beyond this classic activity. A great variation of the valentine making game is to have each child make a valentine for their family using paper, paint, glitter, stickers, and whatever other art supplies are on hand.

Once the valentine is completed, place it in an envelope and help each child write their address on the envelope. If time and the weather permits, take a short field trip with the children to the post office so that they can mail the valentines to their families.

Heart Numbers

Some preschool valentine games allow children to work on their sorting and matching skills. For example this game called "Heart Numbers", has children matching numbers with the corresponding amount of dots or hearts. Cut out a number of large heart shapes from construction paper or cardstock.

Next, cut each of the hearts in half length-wise. Write a number on the left side of the heart, and draw that many dots or small hearts on the other side. Next, mix up the halves and try to see if the children can match the numbers with the correct amount of dots or hearts.

Here's a fun game that has children identifying pictures on a heart shape. Cut out one heart for each child in the class. Next, have the children go through magazines to look for interesting pictures of animals, people, flowers, or anything else they find intriguing. Once they've decided on a picture, they cut it from the magazine and paste it to the heart.

After all the children have finished, gather the hearts and place them in a bag. One at a time, children pull a heart from the bag and identify the picture on the heart. They can also try to guess whose heart it is.

Yummy Sorting Game!

Last but most certainly not least for these preschool valentine games is one that uses little candy hearts to help children with their sorting and matching skills. Place a small amount of candy hearts in a bowl and have children sort them based on color or words. Try to see if they can find two identical hearts. Once the game is over, the clean up is simple- children get to eat the hearts!

Easy Homemade Halloween Preschool Crafts and Children Halloween Games

Why do you need some easy, homemade Halloween preschool crafts and fun children Halloween games ideas? Moms, you know how difficult it can be to keep your preschoolers occupied in the weeks before Halloween. Excitement is high for these youngsters. They can only think about wearing their costume and going out to Trick or Treat. It seems like years away for them. That is why you've got to check out our easy, homemade Halloween Preschool Crafts and our fun Halloween game ideas pages. You can find cheap, easy and fun crafts, games and activities for young kids.

You can find at least 10 craft ideas and activities to keep your youngsters happy and busy all on one web page. You will get a list of the materials you will need, directions to make each Halloween craft idea and there will also be some pictures so you can see what this kids craft is going to look like when you are done. You can also find sources of crafting supplies that you do not already have.

Fun and easy homemade kids craft ideas perfect for Halloween when they are combined with a fun kids game like how to make a Pin the Hat on the Scarecrow or pin the Wart on the Witch game. It's a simple, classic, fun kids game with a Halloween twist. It is the perfect Halloween game to play at a party, at school or at home during family game night.

How about making some Green Slime? Find the instructions to making your own homemade batch of gooey green slime in an easy recipe form. There are also lots of fun kids games with a Halloween theme. Just one example is a game called, Mr. Skeleton, Where's Your Bones?

What would Halloween be with out some Magic Witch Potion? Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire, burn; and cauldron, bubble. Your kids are going to think you are a genius or perhaps, since it is Halloween time, they will think that you are an amazingly powerful witch. They just might believe that you went to school with Hermione and Harry Potter at Hogwarts. This makes for the perfect homemade Halloween crafts idea.

More children Halloween games like Push the Pumpkin, Witch Hunt and Eyeball Race are all well suited for a kids Halloween party at home, or at school. They are also perfect to keep your children out of the Halloween candy!

Fun craft ideas for the early weeks of October include Handprint Spiders, Footprint Ghosts and Glitter Ghosts. Ghost craft ideas are very popular around Halloween! Then, of course, there's also Witch Hat, Halloween Bat, Spider Webs and Egg Carton Bats. You can use egg cartons for tons of different craft ideas for kids, so be sure to keep some around for future craft ideas. Holidays are more fun when you share the gift of imagination and time together with your kids! Be sure to keep your family happy and having fun with these free and easy homemade Halloween preschool crafts and these fun children Halloween games.

Preschool Learning Activity: Stimulating Children's Minds

It is important for those who work with preschoolers to choose a preschool learning activity carefully. Teaching preschoolers is a rewarding experience and young children are like pliable putty in their preschool teacher's hands. Those who teach children, especially preschoolers, experience one of the finest joys that life has to offer. If you have ever watched a young child's eyes widen in amazement as they see a new creature emerge before their sight - as with a science-based preschool learning activity, then you understand the true rewards of teaching children.

Choosing the best preschool learning activity for young children will enhance their skills, prepare them for kindergarten, and help them develop important emergent skills. Some skills that are critical to early childhood development include:

o Language Arts/ Literacy

o Mathematics

o Science

o Social Studies/ Character Building

o Physical Education/Health

You should make sure that any preschool learning activity that you select will enhance the child's understanding and awareness of these core skills and developmental areas. Language skills are critical for developing an understanding of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and communicating. Some simple Language activities may include listening games, rhyming, and following oral directions.

Mathematics is essential for the early learner's awareness of numbers, spatial concepts, patterns, and how mathematics pertains to their daily environment. Mathematical preschool activities may include counting, estimating, reading books that focus on numbers, and using items such as toy cash registers and number based puzzles.

Science and Social Studies skills are essential for children to develop an understanding and awareness of the world around them. It is important to teach children how to draw conclusion, ask questions, and observe the world that they live in.

Teaching children the importance of health and physical fitness through play is not only fun, but it is also vital to develop their sense of self. Activities should promote safety, hygiene skills, and health through proper nutrition.

Free Home School Resources Online for Preschool and Kindergarten

Children between four to six years of age are referred to as kindergarten and preschoolers. During this stage of development, children learn and absorb information quickly. In fact this is the time when your child loves to explore the world around her. They enjoy communicating their interest and attraction in every new discovery. Notice a kid that sees the rainbow in the sky for the first time. Notice how her expression changes. Since this is something new to her, she easily gets fascinated by the wonderful colors of the rainbow. What parents can do is to encourage the child to express her feelings. Talk to the child in a normal manner. Explain to the child the wonderful thing that she sees in a simple and understandable manner. That is actually how parents should teach their children. Introduce the world to the child slowly so that the child would better appreciate the world they are living in.

Homeschooling Education for Preschool and Kindergarten

Homeschooling education has been accepted and adapted by many families across the globe. Our home is actually a good training ground to start teaching kids principles that they will certainly use in life. Many parents opt to have their young child educated at home because they believe that with online education resources and homeschool programs, they can supervise their child better.

The good thing about homeschooling education, the curriculum focuses on the individual learning needs of a child. The good thing about home school curriculum is the flexibility of the schedule. It allows the child to spend more time with their family. Moreover, in homeschooling education, life principles and basic foundation are taught to a child in a fun and loving manner.

Free Online Home School Resources

At home, there are many ways to teach a young child. Parents should bear in mind that kindergarten is an enjoyable time. It should be a memorable time for parents and child alike. They can utilize education resources at home like text books or worksheets, coloring books, clay, colorful paper and so much more. In view of the fact that parents are becoming more innovative and creative in teaching their preschooler, they utilize various home school resources from different websites that offer homeschool education. Online educational activity ebooks and worksheets and kindergarten programs are customized to help parents and children in the learning process.

Cited below are the core values found in Preschool Home school Resources:

- Communication skills - which includes learning the ABC's, sign language, talking and listening development
- Knowledge and basic concept of the world
- Creativity: Colors and Drawings
- Simple Mathematics: Counting and Shapes
- Physical development: Exercise and Games
- Self-help skills: Learning the basic how to's like dressing, eating and bathing
- Children Bible Books: Stories about Creation, Jesus' miracles, salvation

In summary, there are lots of enjoyable web pages that provide remarkable learning activity ideas appropriate for young children. On the other hand, parents should not limit their teachings and depend only with online education resources. In teaching young minds, parents should be creative and innovative. It is a God-given responsibility that they attend to the physical, intellectual and spiritual needs of their children. For parents, do not over stress yourselves; make the learning experience a fun time for you and your kids!

Preschool Games Online and How Cool They Are!

Come All You Can from preschool games online

a time to come, when you think your daughter or son has now reached the stage where he / she can begin to explore games preschoolers. The first thing is that you want to search it, the best sites for this first introduce them. It 's so important that your online activities, to start learning, activities, not only when users are exposed. There are many excellentprograms online. However, preschool children are too young to use the computer as a babysitter.

Although your children will see this activity as pure fun, you can rest assured knowing that you are providing a rich, educational experience for them while they play! That is the rewarding part, and you will feel no guilt when you need a few moments to get chores done around the house or in the car. The very best way to explore this is to sit down with the child and play the game with the child yourself. Then you will know exactly what the program is like and what is being fed into their minds at a young age.

Seeking Out Games

To find games online, you just have to do a simple search and you will see many choices online. You might want also to check with your child's teacher at his/her preschool to see if they might have some online game sites that are their favorites. Most preschool teachers are familiar with good online game sites, especially since now most schools are well-equipped with computer technology and learning games for children of all ages.

Free Preschool Craft Tip - Make A Thanksgiving Card

During the holidays, your kids may want to play here and there. And they will want to do something that they could not do in school days so that they could experience something new and they will know that they are having a holiday. If you are going to train your children in summer but you do not want to teach them anymore academic stuff, what not giving your kids an art based education?

If your kids have received a certain years of education, you can ask them to draw some thanksgiving cards which could train their art sense and creativity. In this way, they could usually use their handmade craft ideas to make something interesting. Adults have been trained to be less innovative in this world because you will know many facts about the reality and you will hardly be able to do something innovative. However, if you try to ask the kids for some ideas, you will find that they could usually generate plenty of interesting ideas.

Even though you are trying to make the thanksgiving card with your kids and you think that this kind of card could hardly make your kids shine in being innovative, you will find that your kids could be very innovative indeed.

If you are going to make a thanksgiving card with your kids, you can first clean off the table for use. You can line your table with some tablecloth which is disposable. It is because in the process there may be a messy table later when your kids are trying to work.

Then, you can try to place everything in a clear way on the table. You have to show that you are trying to make a tidy environment for your kids to work and your kids should also keep everything tidy. If you cannot do this and you make everything messy, your kids may follow you and make messy things.

You can then teach your kids to use a pair of scissors to cut some cards into shapes that they want. This is always a step which could enable your kids to express their innovative kids craft ideas.

After that, you can ask them to paint on the spaces around the edge of the card. You should remind them that they have to leave spaces for writing the message to express the gratitude. Otherwise, they may treat it as a drawing board and fill every space so that they could not use the card as the thanksgiving purpose.

If you want to include the style of mosaic tile craft, you can try to do so. It is because there are plenty of people who would like to use this kind of material to increase the degree of innovation. You can also consider making a thanksgiving card with your kids using this kind of material. However, you need to ensure that your kids will not be hurt throughout the process. If your kids are going to use a pair of scissors, you have to look at them and protect them carefully.

Preschool Activities: Use Snacks And Crafts To Teach ABCs

Everyone knows that it is important to teach children the letters of the alphabet. After all, it is clearly an important building block for learning to read and other early education milestones.

Even children who know their alphabet need to be regularly reminded and challenged with the letters in various order.

The challenge is finding a way to teach preschoolers that is both effective and fun. Most early childhood educators do not recommend buying flashcards or expensive educational tools. Effective preschool education makes learning fun and friendly.

There are three simple methods you need to employ for effective preschool learning and these can be done with things you already have in your own home. Young children learn best if you use these three simple methods: see it, say it, experience it.

This means that in order to teach your preschooler the alphabet you need to let them see the letters -- both in order and out of order. Then you must say the letter and the child must also say it. Finally, in order for the child to really understand the letters of the alphabet he must also experience it. This means employing the senses.

You can use food and crafts to help your child experience the letters of the alphabet by seeing the shape and creating the shape in three-dimensions as well as eating food that either starts with the chosen "letter" or is in the shape of the letter.

For example, why not have your child munch on carrots and candy corn while gluing cotton balls into the shape of the letter "C"? Or perhaps blow bubbles, glue beans in the shape of a "B", and then eat banana splits?

Some other ideas include:

W snacks like waffles, whipped cream, and watermelon; Y snacks like yogurt, yellow cake, and yeast rolls; and Z snacks like zucchini bread, Zesta crackers, and zwieback toast.

Making three dimensional art projects using kite strings and kidney beans for "K"; leaves, lace, lima beans, lids, letter stamps, and shoe laces for "L"; and play money, material, macaroni, and moon shapes for "M".

Be creative and let your child's imagination roam free in your kitchen and with your craft supplies. Once you start looking around your home (and grocery store) for alphabet teaching "tools" you might be surprised at how many ways you can teach your child the alphabet.

While teaching your child the alphabet is an important part of teaching your child to read and preparing for their education, it does not need to be difficult, boring, or expensive for you or your child. It can be fun and easy if you use the world around you and foods and crafts you have in your home.

Encouraging Writing Skills in Preschool Boys Through Play

Boys and girls often learn and play differently. Not all boys play in the same way but soon enough you can recognise the way your child plays. Learning and play times at home allow ample opportunities to play to each child's strength. Boys in general are not equal in fine motor skills as the same aged girls. In our society of equality this poses a problem. If the boys generally are not the same as the girls then the boys need help to bring them up to be equal. We don not look the other way and say the girls are too advanced and need to be slowed down. That would not make sense. With those as the two choices it is easy to see how we have all gone with the raise the achievement of the boys route.

If you see their lack of equal fine motor skills as a developmental issue then things look different. You would not expect a child who is 6 months to be feeding themselves with a spoon that may seem remarkable advanced. Whereas a 12 month old child it may not be so unusual. Although 6 months separate them in child development time this is much more important. Turn now to a 4 year old boy and 4 year old girl. We have stopped counting months. The expectation is that they will be the same or equal in their milestones. This however is not true. These four year olds have preferences and are attracted to do certain activities. Some would say predisposed because of brain development and sex differences.

The outcome for both is the same you want happy confident learners. Since they are learning through play there are many ways to provide a variety of experiences. When you look at your child do you modify their play experiences to match their personality? How do you encourage them with difficult activities?

Writing is one of those difficult activities often for boys. Not difficult that they find it hard, although some do. Difficult in getting anything like the amount you feel they are capable of doing and certainly at the same age as the girls. They may just be disinterested and not ready. Learning and play is fun but also challenging and hard many times. Your boy may prefer to run around than work on fine motor skills. We have to find the balance to that. Writing skills are important but there is a fine line between pushing when they are not ready and switching them off to writing so early on. They have more than a decade of schooling let alone life ahead where their lack of writing skills will seriously change their life outcomes. So it is not something to be light about yet we need to be careful that in the interests of equality only we are setting up boys to fail.

Sometimes we will allow them to stop the challenging work because we are building that skill and other times we need to find a new way to encourage that fine motor activity. We want to give them chances to improve and strengthen their resilience to try and succeed.

Strategies
Keep the activities short.
Have a few activities to choose from to give them choices.
Fine motor activities work really well after a running around activity.
Change the types of writing experiences without making a big deal.
Keep things fun and light.
Follow their lead and interests.

Examples

Write in unusual places: foggy mirrors or windows of the car, chalk on the back porch, make a treasure map on the driveway, shaving foam or yogurt on trays, sand in a tub. Have sets of activities in the stroller, car, in the kitchen that require finger thumb activity ( pincer grip). Many are easily made or bought including lacing cards, threading beads, cotton reels or buttons.

Keep a variety of wand toys around the home. There are magnetic ones that you use the wand to move the balls from one area to another holding the wand like a pencil. Other long time favourites are magnadoodles and etch-a-sketch which encourage fun and learning.

Play alongside them with their type of toy. Draw in the yogurt with them. It gives the activity importance because you are doing it. It may not be your first choice of activity but it is what your boy craves. We all like to have fun so as your boy gets older allow them to do all types of activity. Playing in the bath foam or scratching their name in the sand is not babyish because they can use a pencil and paper.

Encourage other males to do these types of activities with your boy and any other writing type activity. The bottom line is we want all our children to succeed and give them as many chances when they are young to develop a love of learning. This means we have to find what works for our child whether boy or girl. There are always many ways to get to the same point.

Preschool Art Projects - See the World From Your Child's Perspective

Children have a unique way of describing the world around them - through preschool art projects and drawings almost all parents graciously allow their children to do.

Aside from teaching their preschoolers basic arithmetic and word-object association, one of the most common recreation and entertainment activity give to their children is to engage them in preschool art projects - drawing, painting, coloring even sculpture through the use of modeling clay and building bricks.

Most parents see their children's preschool achievements such as artwork, crafts, clay sculptures, ceramic painting projects and the like as an indicator of their child's native ability. However, in most cases, it is actually not a measurable factor of a child's success in the future. Most preschool art projects are simply an expression of how a child sees the world around him and how he relates to it. It is therefore not advisable for parents to pin their hopes and aspirations on a child's preschool projects unless the child happens to be a prodigy and exceptionally gifted.

What children do in their preschool years are indicative not of their artistic inclinations but as their way of sharing with adults how they see things, objects, animals (in fact everything) around them and how they interact with them in their innocence.

Parents should learn to appreciate the effort, thought and perseverance their children put in creating their preschool art projects and other related things if they want to enhance their child's emotional and intellectual capability. Why? Because this is what children need most, acceptance and the knowledge that their efforts are appreciated no matter how basic or simple their masterpiece may be.

Criticism should be done away with by parents and replaced with encouragement, guidance, appreciation and unwavering support in order to make their children stronger not only physically but emotionally and mentally as well. Never compare your child's preschool art projects with those of others as this would definitely damage the child's self-esteem and confidence in communicating and relating with the people around him.

Simply show how gladly you appreciate their work and encourage them to do more to make them happier and contented as children and you will surely contribute to making a better adult in the future.

Five Senses - Preschool Activities

The five senses are exciting to learn about because we use them every day. Here are two activities per sense to help you introduce your child to their five awesome senses.

Sight

Flashcards are a great way for your preschooler to utilize their sight. You can make your own flashcards using cardstock paper, markers and crayons. Draw pictures of animals, objects and general people (ex: a dog, a table and a mailman or baby). Hold up each card and ask your child to name the animal, object or person.

Another way to play with our sight sense is the popular "I Spy" series books. Your preschooler will love helping you hunt for the listed items within the books' pages. A well known verbal variation of this game can be altered to better suit pre-school players. You can have your preschooler pick an object and describe it to you based on its exterior (ex: a ball that is red, circular and sparkly).

Sound

Our ability to hear allows us to enjoy music, communicate with one another, and stay safe.

"Name that Sound" is an exciting way to introduce different sounds to preschoolers so that they can learn to identify them. Purchase or create a CD of sounds and play it for your pre-school audience. Rain, horns honking, ocean waves and animal sounds are extremely stimulating. Ask the children to name the sounds they hear as they hear them.

Playing with instruments is another fun activity for preschoolers. They'll delight in hearing the sound each one makes. You may then ask them "What kind of instrument is this and what sound does it make?"

Smell

Playing with scents of all kinds is a fun way to stimulate the sense of smell.

Offer a variety of foods to smell and identify - eyes closed! Or experiment with scents through scratch and sniff books.

You can even make your own scented playdough by baking dough at home and adding different extracts, like peppermint and vanilla. Your child will love helping you make the dough and will delight in the smell of it (be careful of children who may try to eat it!).

Touch

Young children love touching things. How many times have you caught yourself asking your child not to touch something? These fun activities invite your preschooler to touch for play.

Arrange bowls containing items of different textures on a table. Some suggestions are cooked noodles, water, sand paper and cotton balls. Allow your child to feel inside each bowl. Ask them what they are touching and how it feels.

Texture board books are another great opportunity for preschoolers to play around with touching. Make a trip to your local library or bookstore and pick out texture books to read and feel together.

Taste

What better way is there to incorporate learning than through eating?

Prepare small plates of food containing taste bud stimulators. Bitter, sweet, sour and salty are the tongue's major senses. Some great food ideas are lemon wedges, potato chips and assorted candies. Ask what each tastes like as your child tries them.

You can also have your child try different beverages at different temperatures, like cold and warm milk.

Continue to point out when your child is using their senses and they will become more aware of them!

Preschool Calendar Activities - Introducing the Calendar

Preschool is an excellent time to introduce children to the concepts of the calendar, days of the week and months of the year, and what better way to learn about these concepts than through games and activities! The most common and simple of these preschool calendar activities is to chart the month's progress on a large paper calendar posted on the wall.

At the beginning of every month, gather everyone around the large paper calendar on the wall to label it with the important days of the month, such as any special holidays or birthdays occurring within the month. At the end of the day, one special child gets the important job of crossing the day off to get ready for the next day. This can be a reward for cleaning up fastest after a craft, winning a game, or anything else that seems fit.

"Just another Manic Monday..."

Other preschool calendar activities can focus on learning the days of the week. For example, designate one special activity, game, or song for each day of the week. This will help children get accustomed to a routine, which in turn helps them to learn about the weekly routines that will prevail throughout the remainder of their lives. These activities can change monthly so that children don't get too bored with them.

Lesser-Known Celebrations

The calendar can also serve as a skeletal structure for the preschool curriculum, since it's easiest to teach concepts to children when they are happening all around them. After all, it wouldn't really make much sense to teach kids about Christmas in the middle of spring, would it? Sometimes it can be fun to partake in preschool calendar activities to learn about some of the lesser-known celebrations of each month. This way, children are exposed to more than just the usual "Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter" triumvirate of holiday celebrations.

For example, more preschools are learning about February as Black History Month. However, February is also Library Lovers Month, Children's Dental Month, and National Hobby Month. All three of these themes can provide a wealth of fun activities and games for preschoolers.

For example, Library Lovers Month can be celebrated with a special field trip to the school or local public library to meet the children's librarian and for a storytelling afternoon. In Children's Dental Month, the focus can be on proper oral hygiene by learning the proper ways to brush and floss. This could include a visit from a dentist, if possible. National Hobby Month gives children the chance to bring in an item that showcases one of their hobbies and present it to the class in a show-and-tell format.

When looking for celebrations or holidays from the calendar to bring into the classroom for preschool calendar activities, the emphasis should be on fun and enrichment to the curriculum in general. Although some days can almost stupid, they are still a great opportunity to learn new things on the calendar.

Did you know that the 4th Thursday in the month of January as "Clashing Clothes Day" known? Ask the children to school in their clothes are in competition as a way to learn about differences and things that do not fit easily together.

Preschool Bulletin Boards

Preschool Board is a great teaching tool, as well as decorations for the classroom. They can be used for children on holidays, seasons, a theme, shapes, colors, or simply to teach just for fun. An interactive dashboard is particularly effective because it could be used for weeks to get over a certain goal.

For example, if you learn about various animals, try a black border, is being cut in different habitats.(Examples might be desert, ocean, forest, barnyard, etc.) Have the children place each animal in the correct habitat. You could even have different animal tracks to match the footprint each animal makes and see if the children can figure out the clues.

Seasonal bulletin boards are important in teaching children about the different seasons of the year. For fall, you could have each child trace their hand on colored paper to make "leaves" for a large tree. This can help them with tracing and cutting skills. If they're learning to write their names, have them practice on their own leaves. A similar idea can be used for Christmas where each child gets to design and make ornaments for the Christmas tree on your preschool bulletin board.

Preschool children may have a basic understanding of a few major holidays such as Christmas or Easter, but bulletin boards are a great way for them to learn about other important special days throughout the year. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day, and Earth Day can also be easily incorporated into a preschool bulletin board and can teach your preschoolers valuable lessons about history, as well as other important values such as conservation (Earth Day), gratitude (Thanksgiving) and love (Valentine's Day).

If you are learning about various shapes in your preschool class, try making a bulletin board that has plenty of multi-colored shapes attached with sticky tack. The children can move the shapes around and learn about making patterns at the same time they are learning their shapes!

With a little creativity almost any bulletin board can be interactive. Children love seeing their handiwork showcased. It makes them feel important and special. Having them "help" you make different materials for your preschool bulletin board may mean that it won't look absolutely perfect, but it will save you a lot of extra work!

Having your students help with your bulletin boards has other advantages too. For example, when certain parents come in with a lengthy list of "helpful suggestions"(translation: everything you are doing wrong) you can distract them by saying, Oh look what little Jimmy made in class today! He is so talented! You must be so proud! Problem averted.

In all seriousness though, bulletin boards are a great way to showcase each child's development as they learn. Even simple skills like coloring, Drawing, gluing, tracing and cutting are important milestones in this phase of life! One can only note that your card is pre-Bulletin quickly became the center of the room. Now go and brainstorming with what you may be amazed with!

Preschool Teachers - How to Help Your Students Who Have Speech Or Language Problems

As a preschool teacher, you know that every child who comes to your classroom is a unique little being, and the mix of abilities and personalities of the children in each class makes each school year different. Sometimes you have one or more children in your class who seem to be behind the other children in their abilities to communicate.

If you don't have special training or experience working with children who have some speech or language difficulties or needs, you may be wondering if you are the right teacher for such a child. If you have an interest in and knowledge of normal child development, and if you have a caring attitude and a desire to learn new skills, you certainly are the right teacher.

As a speech-language pathologist, I want to support your efforts to help every child in your class have a successful year learning and developing. Rather than giving you some specific activities to put into your daily plans, I offer you one global piece of advice. This is it: a preschool teacher working with a young child who has a speech or language need should think more about ways to assist the child through all routine activities and not just think about creating a few specific activities.  Anyone--a preschool teacher, a parent or other primary caregiver, a daycare provider, or a therapist-can and should follow this suggestion.

That's it-one global principle. There are ways of listening to, talking with, and interacting with children that help to facilitate speech and language skills, and these methods can and should be blended right into daily interactions--at home and at school.  It is the style and substance of interaction that matters--not a "cookbook" set of specific activities. I caution against thoughts such as, "For the next 15 minutes we'll do a language activity." Instead, please have this thought, "Everything that occurs during this entire class period is a potential language enhancing activity. Everything I do and say should help promote each child's growth in social, language, pre-literacy, motor, and cognitive skills."

Here are several key points from my overall concept of an adult's role with any speech-language learner. These are suggestions for parents and teachers interacting with any child. I have chosen to alternate pronoun use to include both genders.

1. First, observe the child to know what his abilities are.  Continue to observe him closely over time so you can notice improvements big and small.

2. Consider yourself to be like a "foreign language" teacher; therefore, slow down a little, look at the child for recognition of what was said, and repeat or change the wording as necessary until she understands.  Adults should use my recommended techniques to "filter" the rapid flow of language until what is presented matches the child's ability to grasp what is being said and to respond successfully.

3. Speak in statements much more often than in questions.  Questions test knowledge and the ability to answer.  Statements teach.  [Note: Recall a time you took a foreign language class.  Did you prefer that the teacher pepper you with questions that you had to both understand and formulate a response to, or did you prefer a conversational/commenting style that enabled you to join in when you felt able?]

4. Present language at or just above a child's level of current ability. I have coined the term Upside-Down Pyramid to represent the process of systematically reducing the length of an utterance--starting from a complete sentence--and then reducing to the level the child needs in order to join in and respond.

5. Assist the child only as much as needed.  Do not do things for a child that he can do herself. 

Recently I read the report a school psychologist wrote after observing a young child in his preschool classroom.  The child has speech-language needs, and he has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, though his parents do not agree with that diagnosis.  In my one-on-one therapy, he interacts well with his mother and me, and his language skills are exploding.  He still doesn't talk much at school.  

The psychologist reported many areas in which the teachers could promote his participation.  She saw that staff met his needs without presenting language or expecting any verbal communication (passing out snacks and craft items without engaging the child in communication). If he didn't follow a direction to join the group at the table, an aide picked him up and put him on a chair. If he had trouble sharing a toy with another child, he was removed from the situation. And so on.  

Of course, what is needed instead is that activities in which children need things (snacks, items to make a craft, items to be used at circle time, musical instruments, and so on) should be treated as rich opportunities to provide models and to elicit language from every child.  A child who doesn't understand or doesn't comply with a direction needs to hear it again--the same way or modified--and then guided with the least amount of help necessary in order to complete the task.  One of the major points and benefits of early schooling is to enable children to gain social interaction skills.  Instead of being removed from a conflict situation, a child needs supportive mediation by a caring adult who can guide a verbal interaction that resolves the physical encounter with a peer.

I have written an eBook which is like a course that might be called "Speech-Language Pathology 101" for parents--and it is equally applicable to preschool teachers and daycare providers. Each chapter is written like a handout on a variety of topics including the array of speech-language disorders and how to help a child understand and speak the language and clearer.

As I mentioned, there are opportunities to speak throughout the day with young children can increase their language, the language and technical skills are used. My ideas are simple. That is, these techniques can be simple, but not necessarily easy to acquire them, without studying. Once learned, with practice, learn to become automated tools to help children.Adults, children need help, but their current plans for examining the interaction and really try to embrace those specific, well-designed forms of interaction with children. Children deserve support tutor interactions with care - their parents and teachers.

Preschool Math - What you should know your child

Are you wondering how to teach preschool math? In order to be ready for kindergarten, your child needs to know how to recognize colors and shapes, count to 10, identify numbers 0 through 10, complete simple patterns, group objects by shape and color, and use mathematical language like short/long, big/little and heavy/light.

Here are three ways you can teach your children everything they need to know to get ready for kindergarten:

1. Let your child help you with everyday chores and errands. Have your child match socks from the clean clothes basket, place a certain number of items in the grocery cart, set the table and pass our cookies. As you go about your daily activities, give your child an opportunity to help you count, estimate, weigh and measure. Your child is not only learning essential preschool math skills, she is developing good social skills by learning to be a good helper.

2. Add math games and activities to your daily routine. Simple games like Candyland, Dominoes, Chutes and Ladders, Hi Ho Cheerio, Bingo and Hopscotch are great for practicing math skills. Games make learning fun for children by removing the pressure that comes from formal lessons and workbooks. Set aside 15-20 minutes per day to reinforce math concepts through play.

3. Read books about math. Children's books can be a great way to teach basic math skills. Look for books that encourage your child to identify objects by shape or color, or count a certain number of objects. Seek and Find books are a great resource for preschoolers because they not only encourage counting, they help children improve their visual discrimination skills.

You don't need a math degree to homeschool preschool. Just look for learning opportunities in your everyday activities, and remember to relax and have fun!

Preschool Circle Time Activities

First thing a preschool teacher needs to do, is to get a carpet or rug and make your circle on it. It needs to big enough to hold all students, but small enough to have students and teacher close together.

Staring off your preschool day with circle time is a great way to transition your preschoolers into the learning day. However, you can devise a circle time at just about any time of the day in your preschool classroom.

When your preschool students arrive, you probably have them do a little free play as they wait for all students to show up. When all are there, now your preschool can start your circle time!

You may have a bell to ring, or even play a song to let your preschoolers know that it is now circle time.

Each day you will choose different preschoolers in your class to lead all circle time activities. I would choose a different student for each activity, but many preschool educators choose one student to all circle time activities.

Instead of sitting down first, you can call one of your preschoolers to get a flag and they can recite the pledge. Then all students sit.

The Calendar and Preschool Circle Time

A calendar for preschool circle time is a must. You can get a large blank one where each day and month can be either pinned up or otherwise attached, and taken down when the month changes. Many preschool instructors use pointers for some of their circle time activities.

If it is a new month, the name of the month should be written on a card, shown to the students, and all say the name. Then choose a preschooler to stick it on the calendar. If it is not a new month, your preschoolers repeat the name when you point at it.

You can do the day of the week next. These will probably be permanent on your calendar. Use the pointer or choose a preschooler to point to all days and say the names. Ask what day is today.

Next up for your little preschoolers is the numerical date. Again, these are numbers that can be pinned up and taken down when the month changes. Choose a preschooler to put the number up. Show it first, have them repeat it.

The Weather and Preschool Circle Time

Have a chart similar to a calendar. Have many cut outs to represent rain, sun, clouds, cold, etc. Choose a preschooler to pick what the weather is and put this up.

Other Preschool Circle time Activity Suggestions

Have a large board or something similar that you can post things on a daily basis. Have a good selection of preschool songs and music.

- Play a song that has motions. Very important for preschoolers to be active.

- Play a learning song that preschoolers can learn quick and sing along.

- Have large letter cut outs. Pick a 'letter of the day' to be repeated by your preschoolers and put up on the board.

- Have large preschooler appropriate words on cards. Choose a word of the day and let a preschooler put this on the board as well.

- During preschool circle time, it is a great idea for all students to say the names of everyone as you or a student points to them.

- Preschool circle time can also be used to read a story. Have lots of preschool books!

- Make a magic wand. Something simple, a small stick with a star on the end. Choose a preschooler to use this magic wand and point to students one by one to return to their seats or go to the next activity.

These are just a few simple suggestions for your preschool circle time. Hopefully it will encourage you to come up imaginative ways to conduct your preschool circle time and make it meaningful as well as fun!

For more preschool classroom ideas, visit: Preschool Resources Website.

Preschool Maths Cover More Than Just Counting

Maths in all grades involve rationalizing, counting, and figuring out many aspects of nearly anything. Preschool maths involve setting the path for future learning in this regard, while maximizing on your child's earliest learning days.

It's not complicated to teach a child how to count from 1 to 10. For the best results later, having them able to make more of the numbers is the goal of preschool maths. Things such as two is more than one, and that there isn't fairness in two for them and one for me. They are quite capable of this learning at the preschool level though and it gives them a great head start on later maths.

Below are a few ideas that help children find preschool maths easier and give them an extra boost on the future. These are not only in preschool classrooms; rather they can be done at home as well.

Stars For Behavior

Many recall these charts often used to keep the class informed about who was the best in various ways. This enables the children to weight differences in quantity as a useful side effect. Counting and knowing more is a great way for learning preschool maths as well as behavioral understanding.

In addition these stars help provide the preschoolers to grow in areas where recognition among peers can be helpful. Maths at this level helps put the big picture together in the long run.

The Family Bar Graph

Preschool classes will often ask each child to bring pictures from home of their family. From there they use a simple bar graph to make it visual. The bottom often has the number of family members, and the side being how many children in the preschool class have that many. These help instill some of the difference aspects of maths. Using the pictures for the vertical bars they can easily see where the most children fall. In the end, their will be the ability to see size from simple maths.

There a number of gaming and competitive ways this preschool activity can be used to make it more interesting. When it comes to the maths, it will have them comparing sizes as well.

Friendship Mix

This concept can go a long way in preschool in the areas of sharing, maths, simple counting, and more. Just like other mixes you can buy at the stores, the preschool children are each given a bag of a different dry snack. Each is then asked to put five pieces in front of them at a time from their bag. A bag is passed of which each puts their 5 in, and passes it onto another student with something different to do the same task with. They repeat this for bags for each student in the class.

The resulting mixed backs of snacks give them practice counting, seeing sizes grow, and teamwork. In the end they take them home for a snack!

Other Practice

There are many ways to help learn preschool maths. You don't need expensive education resources. Anything can do, such as cans, bottles, boxes, and anything else that can be stacked. Building towers will enable them to see growth in numbers. Beyond preschool maths they will begin more extensive use of the skills they have developed here.

Preschool Recipes For Fun

All preschoolers love arts and crafts activities. With a little preparation, you can save money and have fun by making your own paste, playdough, and finger paints for all your preschooler's craft projects. Let your child help you measure and stir for a fun learning activity!

Finger Painting

1/2 c. cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. cold water
Food coloring

In a medium sauce pan, mix all the ingredients together. Cook over low heat 10 to 15 minutes, stirring until mixture is smooth and thick. Cool. Separate into storage containers and add food coloring as desired.

Pudding Finger Painting

Pudding
Vinyl tablecloth

This activity is fun for all, and safe for young children who can't help but put their fingers in their mouth. Cover a table with a vinyl tablecloth. Put some pudding at each child's place. Let them play!

Homemade Paste

1/2 c. flour
Cold water

Add some cold water to the 1/2 cup flour until it is as thick as cream. Simmer and stir on stove for 5 minutes. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container when not in use. Boiled paste lasts longer and sticks better than no-cook paste.

Playdough

2 c. flour
1 c. salt
4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 c. water with food coloring
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients together in a non-stick sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until mixture becomes a hard ball. Knead while warm for a smoother consistency. Recipe can easily be doubled or cut in half.

Flubber

1 1/2 c. warm water
2 c. white school glue
1 1/3 c. warm water
3 tsp. Borax
Food coloring

Mix 1 1/2 cups warm water, glue, and food coloring together. In a separate bowl, mix 1 1/3 cups warm water and Borax together. Pour the glue mixture into the Borax mixture and take out of the bowl to knead until flubber is soft and consistent in form. Store in Ziploc bag or tightly sealed container. This stuff is really fun!

Homemade Bubble Solution

1 c. water
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/3 c. dishwashing liquid

Combine all ingredients. Mix solution well and allow to sit for 1 hour before using. Cover and label any leftover solution and store in the refrigerator.

Preschool Themes - 4 Fun Ways to Teach Letters

The Importance of the ABC's

Integral to any preschool curriculum is the learning the letters of the alphabet, not only because it's a crucial step towards reading but it is also among the easiest of the preschool themes to plan for and explore. The possibilities for activities, games and crafts are nearly endless for each letter of the alphabet, and there's also the potential of incorporating other preschool themes into the letter-based lessons. For example, Christmas is a great time to look at the letter S, for Santa, sleigh, and snow.

However, when teaching about letters and basic words, remember that at the end of the day, the most important thing is if the children enjoyed themselves and had fun during the lesson, and any learning accumulated on top of that is an excellent bonus. Raising expectations too high at an early age can place an unhealthy amount of pressure on a young, developing mind.

While the following activities and games are suggested for the letters H and I, they may be modified or adapted into other preschool themes.

Hats, Hopping and the Hokey Pokey

Preschool children love playing dress-up and pretend, which can be easily accomplished by the simple act of putting on a hat. When learning about the letter H, as in hat, bring in a selection of hats associated with different occupations, such as a cowboy hat, chef's hat, fire fighter's helmet, and a king's crown.

Have child close their eyes and put the hat on their head. They open their eyes as the other children act out the occupation of the hat. The child wearing the hat has to guess what type of hat it is based on the other children's mimed actions.

Next, clear a large area on the floor and create a large letter H using pillows or other small objects. Children are to hop their way around the letter shape. This activity could also work for the preschool themes of Easter or animals.

A great game for learning about the letter H is the Hokey Pokey. It gets children up and moving, and is an excellent way to learn about the different parts of the body as well as the left side and the right side.

The Letter I: from Ice to Insects

Most children love tactical sensations, such as the feeling of a cold ice cube in their little fingers. Now imagine if that ice cube were made with Jello instead of just water so that it could be used as a small, frozen paintbrush.

This simple craft can be made by making colored ice cubes using Jello, Kool-Aid or powered Tempera paint. Give each child a piece of white paper and allow them to draw on it using the colored ice cube. This craft works well in the winter, or when teaching about opposites, like hot and cold.

Finally, this craft gives children an opportunity to really let their imaginations run wild! Using pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, feathers, google eyes, construction paper, glitter, and anything else that suits their fancy, have each child design their own insect. Have each child present his or her insect to the class, pointing out its distinguishing features.

Using preschool themes to teach children important lessons, like the alphabet, is a great way to organize your curriculum.